Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed many of the key bills sent to him during the fall veto session into law.  Some such bills elicited heavy criticism from Republicans, including those related to transit and assisted suicide.  Whether the governor would sign the bills was unclear amid some of the same concerns, but they are now set to take effect.

One bill signed into law would increase funding for the Chicago Transit Authority.  State Senator Steve McClure, a Republican from Springfield, opposed it due to recent scrutiny of the CTA, along with the increase in tolls and other taxes. 

Another part of the tax increase involves purchases of gasoline.  Senator McClure calls this a “double tax.”

Governor Pritzker also signed into a law the End-Of-Life Options Act.  It would allow eligible patients with a diagnosis of six months or less to live to be prescribed lethal medication to take at home.  The bill faced opposition for a number of reasons, including specific logistics associated with having certain deadly health conditions. 

Outside of Springfield, Senator McClure was present in the courtroom for hearings on an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR.  Two NASCAR teams – including 23XI, which basketball legend Michael Jordan partially owns – sued the competition.  They alleged NASCAR’s new charter agreement – which teams had to sign on short notice to be eligible to compete – was unfairly monopolistic.  The parties eventually reached a settlement, ending the legal proceedings.  The senator says the jury selection process was difficult to complete due to the high profile of Michael Jordan and therefore also the lawsuit. 

More information on Senator Steve McClure is available at www.senatormcclure.com.

Senator Steve McClure appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.